Thermostatic fuel-valve.



A. DOBLE.

THERMOSTATIC FUEL VALVE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 1912. RENEWED 1uN E 5.191s.

1,191,408. v Patented July 18, 1916.

Jay. 3.

: HIHIHHHH' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ABNER DOBLE, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

THERMOS'I'ATIC Y FUEL-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1916.

Application filed June 1, 1912, Serial No. 701,105. Renewed June 5, 1916. Serial No. 101,870.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABNER Donne, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thermostatic Fuel-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to liquid fuel burners adapted for use in connection with steam generators for automobiles.

The invention relates more particularly to means for automatically controlling the fuel to the main burner and has for its object the provision of a device of this kind which is adapted to restrict the flow through the main vaporizing tube until the latter has been heated to a suflicient degree to vaporize the fuel.

The novel features'of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a vaporizing tube and the parts associated therewith, certain of the parts being shown in elevation; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a burner; Fig. 3 is an end view, and Fig. 4. is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates a burner casing in which are arranged the burners 11 and 12. Between the burners 11 and 12 may be arranged a pilot burner 13 which is preferably supplied with fuel from a vaporizing tube 14, the latter preferably communicating with a pre-heating device 15 which may be provided with a nozzle 16, adapted to discharge fuel into the burner 13. The pre-heating device 15 forms no part of the present invention and therefore it is not essential to describe the same in this application.

The burners 11 and '12 may be supplied with fuel in the usual manner from a nozzle 17 which discharges the fuel into a suitable mixing tube 18. The nozzle 17 may be suplied with fuel from a casing 18' which is in communication with a vaporizing tube 19 extending across the burner casin 10 above the burners whereby it receives eat from the burners and the fuel is vaporized. The

tube 19 also communicates with a valve I quantity of fuel.

casing 20 which may be supplied with fuel by means of a suitable pipe 21. The valve casing 20 is provided with a chamber 22 in which is arranged a ball valve 23 adapted to engage a suitable seat in the casing 20 and prevent the flow of fuel from the chamber 22 into the tube 19. The outer end of the casing 20 may be closed by a suitable plug 24 and the ball 23 may be held against its seat, by a member 25 which is pressed against the ball by means of a spring 26.

At its upper end the casing 18' is provided with a laterally extending passage 27, in alinement with the tube 19. A plug 28has screw-threaded engagement with the casing 18'. in alinement with the passage 27 and carries a rod 29, preferably having a triangular cross section and extending to the 0pposite end of the tube 19. The rod 29 may be made of copper or other metal having a comparatively high coeflicient of expansion and is made of just sullicient length to permit it to touch the ball 23 when the burners are not in operation and the parts are at normal temperature.

In the operation of the device the pilot burner is ordinarily first lighted and the heat from this burner expands the rod 29 and thereby pushes the valve 23 off its seat. If fuel is then admitted to the pipe 21 it will flow through the tube 19 and be vaporized and pass through the nozzle 17 into the mixing tube 18. The heat from the main burners will further expand the rod 29 so that the valve 23 will be fully opened and thereby permit the flow of the maximum If for any reason the burners go out the rod 29 will contract and the valve 23 will automatically close so that fuel cannot be admitted to the main burners again until after the pilot valve has been lighted. The device therefore serves as a positive means for preventing the main burners from being flooded With fuel, and the conse uent liability of a disastrous explosion, w en the pilot burner is not lighted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a pilot burner, a vaporizing tube arranged adjacent said pilot burner and adapted to be heated thereby, a main burner also adapted to heat said tube, means elose said valve wlien said burners are not for supplying fuel from said tube to said in operation.

main burner, a valve adapted to control the In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 10 supply of fuel to said tube, a thermostatic in presence of two witnesses.

rod arranged in said tube and adapted to ABNER DUBLE. open said valve when heated by either of Witnesses:

said burners, and spring-pressed means aet- ALBERT P. BRIGGS,

mg in opposition to said rod and adapted to EDWARD W. BAKER. 

